Suffocation Redefined
by Wulf
Summary: No. 2 in the TAS arc. Sometimes, it's the heroes themselves that need saving. Extremely mild yaoi.


Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

AN/Warnings: Mild yaoi (There won't be enough of it focused on in this series to put a warning in the summary.) Course language, violence.

Genre(s): Angst, action/adventure, romance, drama.

Setting: Two years after the war with Andross, the morning after **Waltz for the Moon**.

Additional AN: "Just a Fan," yes. :laughs: I admit it. I'm terrible at keeping a schedule with my writing. I apologize. Profusely. (And I thank you for your review, although I do write for the enjoyment of it, the icing on the cake is a review from a fan, or even a flame. It's nice to know someone is reading, whether they liked it or hated it. :P )

x

**Suffocation Redefined**

"Heroing is one of the shortest professions there is."

-Will Rogers, **(1879 - 1935)**, _Newspaper article, Feb. 15, 1925_

x

_Falco and Fox's apartment, Corneria City_

"Hey!"

Falco squawked indignantly, ducking the delicate vase flying at his head, wincing when he heard it burst against the wall behind him and shatter into a million tiny fractured pieces. He stood up, blue feathers ruffled, a good few of them fluttering to the floor as he turned around. Fox was standing by a now empty end table, slightly hunched over, panting menacingly. His fur was in disarray, shirt loose and partially unbuttoned. He looked pissed.

He also looked very very very cute.

Falco swallowed.

_This isn't the time!_

Fox took a step forward, his intentions unknown to Falco, (but probably violent) when the phone rang, prompting Fox to hold off on his unmerciful wrath of doom for a few moments. Falco picked up the receiver, eying Fox, taking a step backwards and trying not to look too obvious about it.

"Um, yeah?" he asked, watching as Fox crossed his arms across his chest, foot tapping impatiently against the carpet.

_"Hey there, Sugarcakes."_

"Katt," Falco ground out, gritting his teeth through his blush. Fox was paying no attention to him, still tapping his foot, finding the far wall incredibly interesting, and Falco was quite sure that Fox was trying to rupture it mentally before turning his psychic powers onto the avian's own head. Falco turned to his side, wanting privacy, but certainly not wanting to turn his back fully to a very irascible Fox. "Any news?"

_"Uh uh. There isn't much going on now. Just intelligence gathering, I'm afraid. There isn't much we can do now, until we can get a statement from Venom, although there's word on a possible evac attempt on Macbeth and Titania, possibly even Zoness. No one really has any clue what the hell is going on, but Pepper's been speaking with the High Commands of Corneria and Katina, trying to bolster our defenses. Bill doesn't want to try anything right now, at least not until we know what we're up against, although we're assuming Venom's forces will emulate the first war. All the squadrons have been put on a scramble alert, and all of the training simulators have been running non-stop since last night."_

"Does Pepper want us up there?"

_"Oh, 'us' huh?"_ Katt asked slyly, an underlying tinge of pain that most would not have noticed. _"How_ is_ your furry half?"_

Falco sighed, running a wing through his feathery bangs. "Don't ask. I think the fucker's PMSing."

From behind him, there was a low growl, followed by an ominous bark, and Falco winced, berating his own stupidity and short fuse.

"Shit," was all he had a chance to mutter, unable to hear Katt's reply when two hundred some pounds of red fur slammed into his stomach, sending him skidding across the floor, the phone falling off the table and crashing noisily to the floor, following him obediently. Unfortunately, the cord wasn't ripped from the wall, and over the sounds of struggling, Falco heard Katt's breathy laughter.

Falco panted, struggling up to his elbows, finding himself on his stomach quite suddenly, Fox on his back, arms around his left shoulder and neck, pulling him into a half nelson. Falco used his free wing to try and pull himself up, the phone receiver mashed against his cheek.

"Kuh-Katt," he wheezed, something shattering to floor as he and Fox bumped the dining table, his socks suddenly wet. He grunted, trying to throw Fox from his back, Katt dissolving into a giggle fit as Falco clawed at Fox's arm. "Ha-have...to...let you...go..."

With a final cough, Falco slammed the receiver home, turning his full attention to the feisty and pissed canine on his back. He turned around, squirming onto his back, forcing Fox to let go, who decided his best course of action was to weakly pound Falco in the chest. The avian quickly snatched Fox's wrists, trying to still him, Fox panting heavily as he struggled for a few moments longer before his strength finally gave out. He hissed, a pained growl of distress as he flopped onto Falco's chest, the bird wrapping his arms around Fox, rubbing his back.

"Fox, it'll be okay. I know you're upset, but don't take this shit out on me. I don't need it right now, either."

Fox blinked, suddenly feeling too shitty to be ashamed. He'd been so caught up in rage and memories of the past that he hadn't given any thought to Falco's emotional welfare, or that fact that he probably felt the same as Fox. He'd lost two parents in the war, and had seen plenty of good people die, he had is share of nightmares, too, but that didn't mean that his teammates hadn't suffered any less than he; each had lost something incredibly precious in the war, and thinking that he was some special case was ridiculous and incredibly selfish.

"I... I'm sorry Falco. I didn't think..."

Falco's face took on a look of pity, and he shushed Fox, both content to simply lie on the floor a bit, each to collect his own thoughts and make some much needed fortifications to his emotional walls.

"Pepper wants us up there, huh?"

"It would seem so."

Both men knew that had a duty to protect Lylat; although they'd certainly done enough in the first war, they'd been blessed with and had cultivated an incredible gift, and therefore, were obligated to help. But for the time being, it did not matter, the world was outside, and they were inside, content to simply exist together, before having to reenter reality. Fox smiled, head resting on Falco's chest, listening to his lovers heartbeat, a small voice in the back of his head muttering something about mushiness and cliches, but he ignored it, knowing they might not have another chance to just be Fox and Falco, instead of mercenary legends. Falco ran his fingers through the fringe of fur atop Fox's head, which made it all the harder to pull away.

"Time to go?" Fox asked, smiled up at Falco, boyish cuteness replacing the previous blind malice and arrogance. He fluttered his eyelashes, trying to be coy.

Falco smirked, running a wing up Fox's thigh. "Sure. But first..." he trailed off, dipping his head down to Fox's, who laughed around the kiss.

x

_Imperial Base, Star Wolf barracks, Venom_

_"FUCK!"_ Wolf howled in anger, desperately wishing for something, _any_thing that he could break, or better yet, some underling he could kill.

"I had him in my fucking paws! I could've just killed the fucking bastard and been done with it! What the fuck is Andrew's problem? I should waste that little fucking shit, too!"

Leon and Krystal stood against the far wall, exchanging concerned glances, the lizard unperturbed, Krystal less so. She jumped, disturbed when Wolf roared again, throwing a garbage can that clattered with deafening noise as it hit the concrete wall and skittered across the floor. Another stream of curses whistled through his muzzle.

Krystal placed a paw on her breast, wanting to help her cousin, but also afraid to upset him further. His rages had become more and more frequent as battle drew nearer; he'd been pushing himself closer and closer to the edge.

"This is fucking bullshit! Why does he want to play these fucked up mind games? I should've just finished Fox off and the Cornerian army would've just surrendered to us, scared shitless with the loss of their fucking precious McCloud!" Wolf spat, punching the wall, the pain coursing through his knuckles and up the length of his arm barely registering to him.

"You signed the contract," Leon finally spoke up, gently, as though he were scolding a young child. "Star Wolf is now under the administration of Andrew's Empire. We do what he says."

Krystal winced, bracing herself for more screaming and possibly a fist fight, wishing Leon had just kept his mouth shut. Both she and Leon were several years older than Wolf, and much taller, which he saw to be incredibly condescending. He'd always been a bit of an emotional time bomb, and although Leon's intentions were out of concern for Wolf, she was sure the lupine would take it the wrong way.

_He needs to be calm; he needs to rest._

Leon exchanged one last glance with her, nodding, knowing she would take care of him. He'd had previous arrangements to talk with Andrew, but when he'd heard the screaming and shattering, he stopped and made a beeline to Wolf's quarters, to check on him. He took one last glance at the ranting lupine, entrusting him to his elder, and wiser cousin.

Krystal bit her lip, putting her full attention back on Wolf. He had a small glass in his paw, and was directing his wrath towards the open doorway. Not wishing to see him hurt himself or anyone else, she immediately reached out to him, radiating calmness and serenity.

Wolf stopped in mid-throw, startled, feeling Krystal push at his mind. He growled, dropping the glass.

"Cousin!" she barked, reaching out to touch him physically, startled when his paw snapped out and snatched her wrist, pulling her close.

"Don't mind fuck me, Krystal," Wolf hissed, voice set in a dangerously low growl. "I know exactly what I am doing. Get. Out."

He stared at her a moment longer, eyes narrowed, fangs bared menacingly, as though he were trying to accommodate her obvious height advantage over him. Wolf finally released her, turning on heal and briskly walking away, shoulders high and set. Krystal released a breath, rubbing at her sore wrist, slumping against the wall for support. She suddenly noticed she was shaking, tears threatening to spill from her cheeks. It had not been his firm manner with her, that was something she was quite used to. Wolf had always been a bit slight of stature; he was born nearly a month and a half premature, and had always been kind of sickly and small. He worked out extensively, and did have quite a bit of muscle on his small frame, but often had to resort to mind games and perverse tactics to assert his masculinity and what he believed to be his superiority.

What had unnerved her so much was the brush she'd had with his mind. It was awful, a cold, dark and lonely place, filled with an awful malaise that left trails of sickness in its wake. Wolf was hurting, suffering far beyond what she had thought, and his grief and self-blame was threatening to rend his mind apart. She had watched it happen to Leon, back when he was younger, nearly innocent as shame and guilt tore at his soul, fragmenting his personality in two, one a calm, sophisticated and charming gentleman, the other a sociopathic creep who relished and found meaning in the agony of others.

Krystal rubbed at her head, trying to repair the portions of her mind that had touched Wolf's, trying to cleanse them of the sickness.

x

_Spaceship Magnate (Phoenix Inc.) building, Corneria City_

Bill stood nervously in front of the C.E.O.'s door. His paw was raised, but he had yet to knock. He hadn't seen Fara since a few months before, during which they'd had a short relationship that had ended quite badly, since he had yet to curb his wandering eyes (and evidently, his wandering paws). He swallowed for the thousandth time, almost lowering his fist.

_C'mon, suck it up and be a big boy. It's not like you have any choice. The General told _you_ to go, _you_ talk it out with the Big Bad Ex-Girlfriend. If people end up dying because you didn't contact her about getting transport ships for the troops and civies, you'll be in a shitload of trouble, not to mention, an asshole._

A voice finally tore him from his reverie.

"Are you going in?" inquired Reeve, seated at his secretarial desk, a list of unmarked forms piled on top. It was no big secret that the panther hated his guts, Bill had simply accepted it, and moved on. Since the break up, however, Bill felt even more as though the feline was judging him, and poorly. Bill hated that.

_You're stalling again. Just do it. Be a god damn professional, for once._

Bill inwardly nodded, rapping on the door a few times. Although there wasn't an answer, Bill twisted the knob, heart bouncing in his chest as he slowly opened the door. Fara had her back to him, the fennec woman staring at the view through her expansive office windows.

"Why the fuck did you knock? She knew you were here, dipshit," he heard Reeve mutter under his breath as the dog turned and silently closed the door.

"Good Morning, Mr. Grey," Fara spoke, politely, yet tersely. She was not an incredibly forgiving woman

"Hiya," Bill shot back, a little too enthusiastically. It was forced, they both knew it. He had trailed off, intending to add "Ms. Phoenix," to the end of his greeting, but the words sounded weird and sickly in his head and would've sounded worse on his tongue.

_Okay, Bill-pup! Let's get through this. Don't bitch it up._

"Erm... I'm sure you heard the new, yes? Venom's fu- _attacked_ us, and as you already know from the first war, it's always been our first precaution to get any civilians we can out of high-risk areas. Also, we need to be able to mobilize our troops as quickly as possible. So, ah, we're going to need as many transport ships as your company can dish out.

Fara said nothing, turning slightly to sit down in her chair, resting her paws atop her desk and clasping her fingers together. Always business-like. Always lady-like. Presently, she looked up at him.

"Bill... what makes you think you even have to ask for this?"

He was standing over her desk, and it only felt natural to him that he should lean in and kiss her, but stopped himself, remembering the mess that had happened between them months previous. He pulled back, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"Bill?" Fara suddenly asked, reverting to her almost mouse-like mannerisms, her usual confidence gone now that she was without sky or steel, and talking muzzle-to-muzzle with a good looking member of the scruffier sex. The professional air she'd had about her only moments before was gone now, giving way to the sometimes bumbling, sometimes cute, sometimes sexy Fara that Bill had once cherished. He still did, but the difference now is that he could not do it openly.

"Yes?" he finally replied, feeling protected behind his glasses.

"Is there any- can you tell me any information you've received? About what's going on?"

Bill smiled slightly, knowing that even though Fara was taken off active duty since she'd took over the company, she was still an army gal, no matter how many expensive suits she owned.

"Well, we think now that Andrew's leading the rebellion."

"Andrew?" Fara muttered questioningly, her brows knitting together as gears turned in her head. She leaned back in her chair, bringing her clasped paws up to her muzzle.

"Um, yeah. Why?" Bill asked, not quite sure where she was going with this new bit of information. He felt it safe enough to sit on her desk, and did so, wanting to be just that little bit closer to her.

"Oh my god," she finally whispered, the knowledge and understanding of what was going on slamming into her so hard it felt almost like a physical blow. "Andross hadn't meant to win the war at all. My god, how could've I have been so blind? He was... he was so bloody mad that he didn't care how his vengeance was attained, just that it _was_."

"I...I'm not following you," he admitted, semi-sheepishly.

"Andross knew he didn't have the forces to conquer Corneria. He realized it would take more than he had..." she paused, a half-laugh, half whimper escaping her lips as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You see, Andross never married; he had no children. But he had a brother, and his brother had a child. So, he did what he thought was necessary. He killed his brother, and took his son as his own."

"Andrew."

"Yes. And he raised him, filled his head full of violence and propaganda, taught him of science and flight and bioweaponry, creating a nearly flawless child prodigy who is filled with even more hatred and pride than his uncle, someone more capable and intelligent than Andross had ever been, someone with proper resources. Andrew's a much more fearsome foe than his uncle, he's been trained all his life for this. And worse yet, he's desperate. This is Andross' legacy. His final act of terrorism against the people of Lylat. Andrew is his ultimate weapon."

"...Holy shit," Bill muttered reflexively, sitting for a moment and allowing everything to sink in. He finally realized that his fingers were digging into his thigh, and that it hurt. He unclenched his paws, a million thoughts swirling in his head as his brain struggled to process all the new information. Below everything was a seed of pity for Andrew; he'd been nothing but an object to his uncle, and his life had been royally fucked up because of him. Killing the kid now would not only save Corneria, it would be an act of mercy.

"I'll contact Fox," he finally whispered, jumping off Fara's desk.

x

_Cornerian Air Force Base, Peace Keepers' division_

Falco was still off with the newest recruits, instructing them in paw-to paw combat techniques. All in all, the falcon surprisingly made a pretty good teacher, although he swore more than most and one kid had to be sent to the medical bay for pissing him off. They'd both been commanded with tutoring the youngest lot of the troops; it was wartime, and they had to grow up fast. Since no more word had come from Venom, there were no air raids to be had, only a few covert information gathering missions.

Fox had been with the kids in the simulation hangars, teaching them intermediate piloting skills. Although Falco was the star pilot of the team, people often though Fox (whether by his genes or his luck) was the best in Star Fox, and Pepper though it best that he instruct them in the avian's stead. Fox was better with people anyway, and if anything, seeing the guy that killed Andross boosted morale.

He'd been summoned away a shortly after he'd started; there was an important call for him, from Commander Bill Grey. He'd told the kids to practice loops and excused himself, taking the call at one of the pay phones in the corridor outside the hangar.

Bill had winded through the entire conversation he'd had with Fara, and Fox took the information to heart.

It had been two years since the war, since the battles on Fortuna and Venom. He'd barely paid attention to Andrew, except when he was pounding the young ape's ship with laser fire. Fox had thought of him a little more than a spoiled brat, who'd been a terrible pilot. The rumors that Andrew was leading the remnants of his uncle's forced had not disturbed him; if it was, so be it, the kid was doing down,_ hard._ However, if what Fara hypothesized was correct, then they were dealing with more than just an annoying brat, he'd be a real threat. There was no telling what he'd be capable of, what he would do.

Fox sighed, pain settling in between his eyes. He was getting a headache.

"Bill, I want you to return to the base immediately, tell Fara to ready as many ships as possible, get them out to Macbeth and Titania. We can evacuate as many as possible, set them up in camps on Katina or Corneria."

_"What about the troops?"_

Fox sighed, the pain thickening. "We'll worry about them later. What's important now is getting as many innocent people as we can the hell away from Venom."

_"Gotcha."_

Fox was about to reply, to tell Bill to put his squadrons on alert as soon as he got back, but world around him started pulsing, vibrating with the pounding agony in his head.

Something was wrong.

His chest began to hurt, an indescribable squeezing kind of pain, and he suddenly felt short of breath.

Something was very, very wrong.

Fox drew another small, shaky breath, feeling the world swirl with every unrhythmic thud of his heart, he was warm, hot, too hot, starting to sweat, a howl of blood rushing in his ears fuzzing everything to a dull roar, the world spinning away into a tiny pinpoint of light-

His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he collapsed, white foaming from his mouth as his body was overcome by convulsions, terrible pain racking through him as the world drifted away from him.

_Goddess, what's going on..._

The receiver was still dangling above him, swinging gently, a panicked voice calling for him from the other end.

_"Fox? Fox? Fox, you okay? Answer me! Fox!"_

Foam bubbled at Fox's eyes, and he finally gave in to the darkness.

_Bill... h...e...lp...me..._

x

_Cornerian Air Force Base, Medical Wing, high security area_

Falco sat next to Fox's hospital bed, weary greens on the unconscious vulpine, nearly comatose himself. He'd rushed over as soon as he'd heard Bill's frantic shouts, gathering the necessary information from the words "Fox" and "medical bay." He'd dropped the receiver and ran like hell, and for all he knew, the kids in the training room were still trying to kick the shit out of each other.

It didn't matter.

Fox did.

They'd managed to get the foamy shit under control shortly after he'd arrived; seeing that white junk ooze out of Fox's eyes and mouth had been nerve wracking, even more so than seeing him fall into a coma, wires hooked up to every conceivable patch of fur.

The heart monitor beeped.

The IV fluids dripped.

There were footsteps, someone behind him.

Didn't matter.

Fox did.

"They don't know what's wrong?" asked a voice, female; Fay.

The falcon shook his head solemnly, not removing his eyes from the tod's still form.

_Scent._

Someone behind Fay. More canine. Bill.

Didn't matter.

_Only Fox matters now. Wake up, Fox, please wake up. Wake up. Wake up, now._

The mantra repeated itself in his head, but it wasn't doing much, Fox was still unconscious, a bubble popping on his lips. He was calm now, though, he hadn't had a seizure in over an hour, which the doctors had said was a very good sign. Even so, Fox wasn't getting any better, or any more awake, and the shithead medical staff still had no clue what was wrong with him.

Falco sighed again, rubbing a furry paw, emotions and thoughts and more scary shit he didn't want to deal with swirling around his brain. He cared for him, deeply, but hadn't given it much thought, thinking that Fox would always be there, after all, he'd already survived a war, why wouldn't he, _and Fox, please just fucking wake up._

He was an emotional wreck now, but was slowly getting things under control. For such a long time, he'd denied his feeling for Katt, even more so with Fox; he'd always believed that caring for someone was a weakness, after all, they'd only end up dead...

Someone put a paw on his shoulder, and Falco jumped slightly, a warmth filling him when he saw it was Katt. He placed his free wing on her paw, glad to have someone to suffer with He wasn't sure he'd be able to manage on his own, which truly scared him. He was being weak.

"Our Tiger's a tough pup," Katt whispered, tears in her eyes. "He'll get through this, you know he will."

Falco nodded, but somehow, he wasn't quite sure he could believe it.

_Wake up..._


End file.
